The Missing Roselia
by LunaAzul788
Summary: "It's the middle of the night and the contest is tomorrow. Shouldn't he be resting?" A young red-clad Pokémon Coordinator asked herself as she spotted her so-called rival wonder off alone to the woods. That night, she never thought she could discover a new side of him. [A Contestshipping short story.]
1. Part 1

**Part 1**

It had been a long and tiring, yet productive day of training for both Pokémon Trainers and Pokémon Coordinators alike. The nearby parks, the beach, and even the side streets, were filled with people and their Pokémon pushing in some extra effort. Some did preparations for their gym battles, whilst the others got ready for tomorrow's Roseli City's Contest Spectacular.

It was about to turn ten o'clock in the evening when our favorite Hoenn Pokémon Trainers started to prepare for the next morning. Brock packed the supplies and goods he had just bought that morning into his trusty backpack. Ash and Max were elatedly chatting about which Pokémon Ash would be using for the next gym battle. May was in the bathroom, washing up before going to bed.

Brock knocked lightly on the restroom door. Unfortunately, the Pokémon Center they were staying in had only one bathroom, hence they each had to wait their turn.

"Hey May," Brock called from the other side. "Would you kindly hurry it up? I need to take a shower too."

Max jumped off Ash's bed and walked towards where Brock stood.

"Yeah May!" he yelled. "You've been in there for about an hour!"

"All right, all right! I'm coming out already!" Making sure everything was neat before she left, she turned the doorknob to take her leave. "I didn't take that long you know," she told Max with a scowl.

"Thanks May," Brock smiled before entering the bathroom. The young brunette gave a quick smile in response.

May then turned to face her stubborn little brother. "Hey Max, it's past your bedtime. Go to bed now," she said.

Max gave her a mean frown. "You're not my mom! You can't tell me what to do!" Wiping his tired eyes, he spoke in between yawns. "And… I'm not… tired yet…" He felt his eyes grow heavy.

Before May could rebut and initiate another sibling bicker, Ash stood from his bed. "Oh, come on now Max. We all had a long day, let's go get some sleep," the raven-haired Trainer said as he helped Max up to his bunk bed which was just above his sister's. Just after that, Ash retreated to his bed and fell fast asleep. May did a quick check in her small carry-on bag before hitting the hay. In only a few minutes, Brock came out of the bathroom and headed up to his bed just above Ash's.

It was about eleven-thirty in the evening, and everyone was fast asleep.

…

May awoke to a warm breeze. She felt her throat go dry as she pushed her blanket off. Craving for some water, she headed to the Pokémon Center lobby to get a cool and refreshing bottle of water from the vending machine.

By the reception area where Nurse Joy could usually be found, the large digital clock displayed a "01:55 AM" in red LED lights. "Ugh, it's so warm out, who turned off the air-conditioning?" May grumbled to herself. Walking over to the vending machine by a large modernly-designed window, the brunette spotted someone outside. It was as if the person was heading towards the wooded areas beside the small crystal-clear lake.

"Who in the world would go out at a time like this?" May asked herself. Narrowing down her eyes to clarify her vision, the person who came into view appeared strangely familiar. Yes, rather very familiar.

"Is that… Drew?" May continued to whisper to herself. "What's he doing out at a time like this? It's the middle of the night and the contest is tomorrow. Shouldn't he be resting?" Shaking off her concern, her bias of him as her rude, arrogant and conceited rival slightly clouded her thoughts. " _Hmph, it's none of my business anyways_." However, her kind, nurturing and curious character resurfaced and she found herself hurriedly walking back to her room to change from her yellow pajamas to pay him a visit. May knew she'd go out and ask him what's up, and much like her, she forgot to claim her cold bottle of water.

…

Drew stopped by the edge of the crystal-clear lake. Taking out his Pokéball, he called out for his Masquerain. "Come on out Masquerain!" He threw the ball into the air and out came the white bug/flying Eyeball Pokémon. Taking a step forward, Drew spoke of his request. "Masquerain, I need you to help me find–!" He was, however, cut short by the sight of a familiar girl running towards him.

"May? What are you doing here? And at a time like this?" inquired the green-haired Pokémon Coordinator. May quaintly held her hands behind her back.

"Uhmm, you see…" she started. "I was just off to get some bottled water when I saw you out here."

Drew raised a brow, and did his signature hair flick. "Really now? So where's your bottled water?" May then began to feel a nervous tingle.

"Uh yeah, I kinda forgot… I guess."

Drew closed his eyes and smirked. "How typical of you, May. Always so forgetful, even on the simplest of things."

The short-tempered girl clenched her hands into a fist. "Hey! If you're just going to be rude and act like a jerk, why don't you just do it sometime tomorrow?!"

Drew opened his eyes and looked towards the brunette with the haughty expression still on display. "There's no particular schedule for me to pick on you, y'know. Anyways, you should head back to bed. The contest is going to start up early tomorrow."

"You mean today," she corrected him.

Remembering why she came here in the first place, May inquired, "Yeah, I know. That's why I wanted to ask why aren't you in bed? What're you doing out here so late?" Drew remained silent for a few seconds, as if thinking on what to respond.

"Roselia's missing."

"What?!" May spoke out of her surprise. "W-What happened?"

Drew still remained his calm composure. Hands in pockets whilst facing his rival, he spoke in a leveled tone. "I really don't know. I might have the feeling she run away."

Though he did speak with no hint of emotional tone, May knew deep inside he was feeling a mixture of fear, anger and disappointment. Maybe even shame or guilt.

"You know this is my concern, May. You need to prep yourself up for tomorrow's contest. Go on to bed," he tried dismissing her once more. However, the young brunette would not budge.

"No. I'll help you find Roselia, Drew," she said with a small smile. "I know how much Roselia means to you, and I… I couldn't bring myself to sleep soundly knowing that you'll be out here alone looking for her."

Drew was quite surprised with May's sense of compassion, yet he merely nodded. "Well… thanks May," was all he could bring himself to say. May then brought out her Beautifly to help with the search.

"All right then. You can tell me what happened while we go and look for Roselia."

…

The two walked deeper into the woods just by the Pokémon Center in search of Drew's star Pokémon. No cloud was in sight, and the stars were still shining up high in the navy sky. "I believe it all started this afternoon," Drew began. "I was training Roselia and Absol for a new combination that I wanted to use for the contest. Absol was quite new to these things so I needed him to put in some extra effort." May nodded as she listened intently. "It was very late at night. I didn't allow us to eat, or have a break until we perfected the combination. I guess I was so hungry and exhausted that I didn't realize I was putting myself and both my Pokémon under so much stress and pressure."

Drew turned his face to look away from the road and to the sky instead. "Roselia then told me to stop and take a break. I guess she knew better. But at that time, I didn't. She then acted stubborn and disobedient. I was so furious, that I started telling her she didn't know what hard work and dedication was and how it meant for me." May felt mixed feelings of sympathy, worry and even a bit of anger.

Drew continued. "I then started comparing her to Absol… even asking why she can't keep up when Absol can." May was about to say something when Drew paused in his tracks. "I know what you're thinking," Drew told her. "Totally out of my character, right?" May simply nodded in reply. He then continued. "Things like these can happen when you push yourself too hard and become overwhelmed with stress. Happens to the best of us."

May looked down at the path they follow. "I kinda agree. But what really shocked me was you could say that to Roselia, the Pokémon I know you believe in so much. So, it's no surprise she would run off," she murmured the last sentence.

Drew nodded. "I know what you mean. I felt so guilty that I couldn't sleep. So by around after midnight, I wanted to go apologize to her… but only to find her Pokéball empty." Now the sadness was evident in his emerald eyes, and May knew that scolding him further would not be helpful at all, so she rather said words of comfort.

"Don't you worry Drew," she said with a determined expression on her face. "We'll find Roselia. I know we can." As if her positive attitude was a contagious, Drew could not help himself but give a small genuinely smile.

…

"Roselia! Roselia, where are you?" came several screams from the depths of the woods. "Roselia, please come out!" Drew yelled as loud as he can. "I want to apologize! I should not have said those things to you!" May joined in the shouting. "Roselia! Please, please come out!"

Beautifly and Masquerain searched through the sky. The circumstance was quite difficult as their only source of light was the moon.

"Oh, Roselia…" Drew sighed. "Please be all right." May walked over to Drew, her hands clasped together in a prayerful gesture. "Let's keep searching for her, Drew," she encouraged him. The young green-haired Pokémon Coordinator turned to face her. "We've been out for about two hours now, May. You need to get some sleep or you won't have any energy for tomorrow's contest," he spoke rather gently to which May felt quite surprised at.

 _Maybe it's just because he's really tired and sad_ , May thought to herself. "I'll be fine Drew, honest! What's more important is that we find Roselia and that's she's safe, right?" Now it was Drew's turn to feel quite stunned.

"Hey May…" Drew attempted to ask a question.

"Yes Drew?" May replied meekly.

"Why are you… Oh, uhm, never mind," he quickly halted himself.

"It's all right, you can ask me anything," she told him.

Drew gave a small smile. "I was going to ask you why you're being so nice, but it turns out, I could just find the answer myself."

May then suddenly blushed. "H-Hey! What is that supposed to m-mean?" she rapidly and nervously inquired. "I'm always nice!"

Drew flicked his hair. "Yeah, I know that," he said coolly. She paused for a moment. "You do?"

"Yeah. But I also know you're always so clumsy, stubborn, forgetful, and-!" he continued pointing out each of her flaws, only to be cut off.

"Yeah yeah, I've got the message. Look if you're just going to make fun of me well-!" She was cut short by Masquerain and Beautifly's arrival.

"I think they've found her!" Drew gladly said as the run off to where the two flying/bug-types led them.

…

Not far from where the two Pokémon Coordinators are was a weeping Roselia. " _I know Drew didn't mean all that_ ," she comforted herself. " _But what he said was just plain hurtful._ "

She was out alone by the other side of the lake. The crystal-clear waters perfectly captured the reflection of the moon and stars in the night sky. Roselia walked towards the lake to gaze upon her reflection. Her eyes were a bit swollen from her hours of crying, and her vivid lime green color seemed to have lost some of its hue. Tears then slowly started to stream down her eyes once more.

Not far from where the little grass Pokémon was, hid the infamous Team Rocket trio.

"Remind me again why we're up so early in the morning? It's four o'clock!" James complained.

"Because!" Jessie began to explain. "Today was glorious since a bunch of Trainers brought out their Pokémon."

"Yeah, but now we ain't got no Pokémon to steal at this time," Meowth told Jessie.

"That's where you're wrong," Jessie pointed out. "Some of the best Trainers with the strongest Pokémon come out to train early in the morning, so no one would see their special training styles."

James slowly blinked his sleepy eyes. "And so you want us to compete against these strong Trainers and their strong Pokémon?" he said before giving a loud yawn.

Jessie placed her hands on her hips. "No, we're not going to compete because we don't have to battle them! There are several ways to steal Pokémon without having to battle, you know James." The sleepy blue-haired man just mindlessly continued to stare at his comrade.

"Yeah… you tell me…"

From the other side of the bush where they hid, Meowth's ears twitched as he had just heard something. "Shush guys! I can hear someone cryin'," the feline said as he pierced a small opening in the bushes. "And I'm right! Lookie 'ere! It's a Roselia!"

James suddenly lit up. "A Roselia?"

"Right," responded Meowth.

"She's crying her eyes out. Something must've happened to her… Maybe she lost her Trainer?" James said as he pierced a small opening as well.

"Let me see!" Jessie pushed the two aside. "Oh… yes… A crying Roselia. But it does look awfully familiar," she added. Suddenly flashbacks of Drew and Roselia in the contest battles and the times he helped blast them off played in the Jessie's mind. "I knew it! Now I know why that Roselia's so familiar!"

"What's up with you Jessie?" Meowth asked.

"Do you know this Roselia?" James added to the question.

"This is that twerpette's coordinator boyfriend's Roselia!" Jessie told her two teammates. "I've seen them too many times in action, and I'm pretty sure it's that exact Pokémon!" She clenched her hands into a fist. "I know what we're doing at this time in the morning!" She smirked. Meowth and James gave her with a knowing look. "Yes, we're going to steal that Roselia."

* * *

 **Author's Message: I divided the story into two parts, mainly because I did not want to exhaust the readers with one whole long chapter. Moreover, I just came up with the city mentioned here. I based it from one of the Pokémon berries, the "Roseli Berry". I hoped you liked this part so far. The next one is coming up very soon, I promise.**

 **If you bothered to read this remark, why not review me your favorite berry? Some people, I believe don't have any particular favorite… so if that's the case, maybe just give a random berry and tell me what you like or dislike about it? Hahaha! Thank you!**


	2. Part 2

**Part 2**

"I have a feeling that Roselia might be at the other side of the lake," May said as she panted. The two coordinators zoomed across the woods as fast they can, following their Pokémon to where they had spotted Roselia.

"Yeah, she might be," Drew agreed with his companion. " _Please let Roselia be there… and let her be safe_ ," he wished to himself.

Unfortunately, unbeknownst to them, Team Rocket had rotten plans for their friend.

….

The night was so still and peaceful that even perhaps a small twig that fell from a tree could be heard. Roselia felt incredibly exhausted, both from her rigid training and from her crying. She wondered whether she should head back, or just stay in the forest for the time-being until she has fully recovered emotionally. She chose the latter.

Just as she curled herself to sleep, Roselia felt an eerie presence from behind, as if someone was watching her. Vigilantly, she stood from the ground and positioned herself into a battle stance. Suddenly, the sound of sinister laughter surrounded the area. Because she was too weak from hunger, fatigue, and emotional turmoil, her senses could not point out the particular location as to where the sound came from.

"Seviper, Poison Tail now!"

The attack was quick, and since she had very limited strength left, she could not battle in her defense. The Poison Tail attack not only pounded her to a pulp, it had also poisoned her. Roselia was so weak that she could not even stand any longer. She wanted to cry for help, but she had no more tears left to shed.

"One more time, Seviper. Poison Tail!" came the second command.

The attack swept Roselia to the middle of the lake. Faintly, she felt as if she had heard someone scream her name. Slowly falling down to the depths of the cold waters, the Pokémon lost her consciousness.

"ROSELIA!" Drew yelled once more as he urgently jumped into lake where Roselia had fallen in. May was left to face Team Rocket on her own.

James frowned at Jessie. "Hey! You said we're going to capture and steal Roselia! Not beat it to a pulp and send it to the depths of the lake!"

Jessie chuckled. "Well sorry, I just got a little carried away. After all, all these stored up anger and envy should be released someway somehow," she said nonchalantly.

May felt her blood boil in fury. "Team Rocket! You're all going to be so sorry for ever doing that to Roselia! What did she or Drew ever do to you to deserve such a thing?!"

Jessie took one front step. "Well, if your boyfriend didn't keep winning all those contests with that Roselia then I wouldn't have to feel so much detestation towards it!"

May ignored the boyfriend remark. Her eyebrows narrowed down, and eyes dimmed in anger. One of her hands clenched to a fist, and the other directly pointed towards the three. "Beautifly, Masquerain… Silver Wind now!" Obeying the Pokémon Coordinator's instruction, both Pokémon released powerful shining gust-like whirlwinds towards Team Rocket. The power of the attack caused an explosion upon impact and sent the three flying off to the distance.

"I just remembered…" James said as they flew across the cool night sky.

"What?" Meowth asked.

"We didn't even get a chance to say our motto…" he replied with disappointed tone.

The three then merely sighed sadly as they all flew away in the 'signature' blast off.

May run off to the edge of the lake. "Drew! Please come out! Oh, please…" Beautifly and Masquerain worriedly watched behind the trembling girl, hoping that their friends would be all right and safe, as well.

…

Down under the cold waters of the lake, Drew swam down as fast as he can to reach Roselia. Sudden flashbacks of his journey with her suddenly surfaced his thoughts.

" _Now Andrew," a sweet feminine voice spoke. "Don't wander off too far. Be home before dark, all right?" A young seven year-old Drew nodded. "Yes, Mom. Come on, don't worry so much." His mother smiled. "Just be safe, dear. Now go on."_

 _The young Drew walked along to the central park of LaRousse City. It was quite early in the morning so there weren't much people around. Drew brought out a sandwich for his breakfast. The aroma must have caught the attention of a small group of green Pokémon who approached him. "Hey cool," the little boy said. "A bunch of Budew!" Taking some pieces from his sandwich, he shared with the Pokémon. Perceiving the young boy as kind and caring, the Budew started to play with him as thanks. Drew merely smiled at their gestures._

 _Not far from where he sat was one particular Budew that seemed to have caught his attention. It was all alone, hiding behind the tree. Slowly walking towards it, he smiled. The shy Budew took a few steps back in fear and nervousness. "Please, don't be scared. Look, I have a sandwich I'd like to share with you…" The Budew then slowly and carefully walked towards the sandwich to examine it. Taking a tiny piece, it gave the food a try. She then smiled as to show she did indeed like it. "I have more if you like, please, take as much!" Drew offered. From then on the two became close friends._

…

Drew then recalled several events after he had Budew as his very own Pokémon. Memories of him and Budew such as the times they had gone through some extensive and committed training, the times when Budew had evolved into Roselia, and the most especially, the moment they had both decided to compete in the Pokémon Contest Spectaculars and become such talented Pokémon Coordinators. He also remembered his first ribbon, his series of wins, his loss to Soledad… Roselia had been part of it all.

Roselia faintly opened her eyes as she felt someone firmly yet gently hold her and pull her to an embrace. The sight was blurry, but she knew all too well whom it was. She felt her emotions at ease, yet was still too exhausted to even give a smile.

Just as Drew had resurfaced from the lake, May immediately jumped in to help pull them out. Beautifly and Masquerain assisted as well. With their combined efforts, Drew and Roselia were pulled out of the icy waters and to the ground. The four breathed heavily as the exercise did quite take a toll on them.

Drew lied on his back, with Roselia safe in his arms. He then turned to his right to face the panting girl. "Hey May… T-Thanks a lot… I owe you one," he said weakly. May shook her head, and fixed her hair behind her ear. "You don't owe me a thing, Drew," she smiled. "I'm just really happy you and Roselia are safe." Before Drew could speak in response, the colors of the sky transitioned to a pinky peach hue. It was dawn, and the sun has begun to rise. Drew felt his eyes grow heavy, and so, began to fall into a deep slumber. May, too, was just as tired and so fell asleep beside her rival.

After about an hour, several surprised gasps, puzzled voices, and even some giggles from a group of familiars could be heard.

…

"Oh no! That was a super-effective attack from Lorraine's Gallade to May's Skitty!" exclaimed Viridian Meridian, the Hoenn region's contest host. Three red X's from the judges' panel then appeared to signal that the battle is over.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! We now have the winner for the Roseli City Contest Spectacular – Miss Lorraine, from Rota Town! To commemorate her achievement, Mr. Contesta will be awarding our winner with the Roseli Ribbon."

May called back her Skitty. "Thank you Skitty, you were really great out there," she spoke to the pink feline Pokémon as it rested within the Pokéball. May sighed, not out of disappointment, but of her exhaustion. Lorraine then walked towards May and extended a gloved hand. "You're a brilliant Pokémon Coordinator, May. I wish you I had the opportunity to battle you at your most optimal, you seem exhausted! I wish you all the best in the future," she said as she shook her opponent's hand.

"Thank you, Miss Lorraine. You're really good too!"

"You've gotten better," came a quite proud voice from behind the red-clad coordinator. "That means I'll just have to train harder myself."

May smiled. "Drew, I see you're feeling better."

Flicking his hair, Drew replied with a smirk, "I am. Nurse Joy said Roselia's just going to be fine. I hope you're feeling better too, May." With that, he handed her one of his signature May-exclusive beautiful red roses. He then faced the winner of the contest, "Oh, congratulations Miss Lorraine. You sure are a real tough one," he praised as he extended his hand for her to shake.

"Thank you, Drew… right?" she smiled as she shook his hand in thanks. "I see you and May here are quite an item," she teased.

May felt her blush warm her cheeks. "Oh no! It's not like that!" she nervously shook her head. Drew just stood there calm and nonchalant, yet his eyes evident of a puzzled expression. Lorraine giggled at May and Drew's reactions. "You're both so cute. I don't think Drew here just gives roses to just any random girl or even the contests winners, am I right, May? Drew?" All May could reply was an awkward laugh, whilst Drew shrugged his shoulders with a smirk.

"I should better be going now. It was nice talking to you both. Good luck in the future, you two," Lorraine said with a wink. "You both know what I mean." With that she headed towards the exit.

Drew turned his head to speak with May. "I think we should both head out too. I'll just pass by the Pokémon center to see how Roselia's recovered. So, see you…" Before he could even turn away, May took hold of his upper arm.

"I… uh, want to go with you," she said, red tints blushing her cheeks. "I just want to see and make sure Roselia's doing fine too… A-And besides, I'll be meeting Ash and Brock there anyways."

With a mere nod, Drew gestured her to walk with him to the Pokémon Center.

…

The walk to the Pokémon Center was a silent one. Drew had his hands in his pockets, whilst May had hers clasped behind her. The path tinted of a golden glow due to the sun's rays. It appears that dusk is upon them.

"You know May," Drew began, breaking the silence between them. "I don't think you lost to Miss Lorraine today because of your skill… It may be because you were exhausted and had no sleep at all."

May nodded. "Yeah, I guess so too…"

After a few minutes of more quiet time, May gathered the courage to break the silence once more. "Hey Drew," she asked, turning her head to face him.

"Yeah?" Drew replied, yet did not turn to face her.

The red-clad Pokémon Coordinator then began to play with her fingers. "Did you really mean that? Y-You know… when you said I've gotten better?"

"Uh huh," he said coolly, still not turning to face her. "And I was serious when I said I might need to train harder because that. Emphasis on… _might_ ," he teased.

May folded her hands. "Awww, come on. You know I was good, and I'm getting better. Scared that you might lose to me next time? Especially when I'm fully recharged."

"Not at all."

The Pokémon Center now came in view as May and Drew were only a few meters away. The sun started to set, and the golden hue transitioned to a deep scarlet orange.

"Will you stay the night at the Pokémon Center?" Drew asked his companion, now turning to face her this time. May gave it a few minutes of thought before replying.

"I think so, since it's going to get dark soon."

Drew simpered. "All right."

The curious girl raised a brow. "Why'd you ask?" Only to which Drew merely replied, "Nothing." May fumed at this, and so, gave pout. "Oh okay."

Drew chuckled to himself. "You know, there's this new garden café just by the contest stadium. It's open twenty-four seven," he told her as they entered the red and white building that is the Pokémon Center. They approached the lovely Nurse Joy at the counter and asked for Roselia.

Drew released Roselia from her Pokéball. She seemed fighting fit, and had never felt better. Upon seeing her beloved Trainer's face, she jumped towards him for an embrace, of which was symbolic of her forgiveness and gratitude. May felt touched at the scene, most especially as she had never seen this softer side of Drew. " _Well… at least I could tease him about it sometime_ ," she giggled to herself.

The young brunette Pokémon Coordinator then tapped on her rival's shoulder. "Hey Drew, about the garden café… Are you up for another all-nighter?" Drew smiled as he carried Roselia on his shoulder.

"Hmm, guess you just read my mind."

THE END

* * *

 **Author's Message: Yes, and that is the end, folks! Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please do review and if you do, don't forget to tell me your favorite berry(ies)! Hahaha! Thanks and have an awesome day/night!**


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